Monopoly. Salem, Massachusetts: Parker Brothers, 1936.

The origins of Monopoly have been hotly contested. The game
is most often attributed to Charles Darrow, an unemployed salesman,
and dated to 1934. However, many have claimed that Darrow adapted
the Landlord’s Game, patented in 1904 by Lizzie Magie,
a Quaker from Pennsylvania. Ironically, the Landlord’s Game,
based on the economic theories of Henry George, was intended to reveal
the social evils of land monopolies and promote a single federal land
tax. Parker Brothers eventually paid Magie $500 for the patent to
the Landlord’s Game, although she would not allow it
to be adapted.

Charles Darrow offered the Parker Brothers the rights to Monopoly,
but they initially rejected it. Once his version of the game was successfully
marketed in Philadelphia department stores, Parker Brothers offered
to buy the game outright. The first versions of Monopoly,
as in the example shown, contained two sets of rules: the regular
set and the new Short Games rules. The publishers were initially concerned
that the original version was too time consuming for the average audience.
The royalties from sales allowed Charles Darrow to retire as a millionaire
at age 46. Monopoly continues to be one of the most enduring
successes of the board game industry.